Deck 3: Socialization: From Infancy to Old Age

Question 1

Applying Freud's thinking to a sociological analysis of personality development, you would conclude that

A) human behavior is basically random.
B) culture demands that people become more self-centered.
C) humans have self-centered drives that must be controlled by learning the ways of society.
D) many humans never manage to learn culture.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

In Freud's model of personality, the ___________ represents the presence of culture within the individual.

A) eros
B) id
C) ego
D) superego

Answer 2

superego

Question 3

An idea in Freud's thinking that has special importance to sociology is his assertion that

A) human behavior is basically random.
B) societies encourage people to become
C) humans can never learn culture.
D) society demands that individuals become

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Studies of children raised in isolation, show that

A) humans have most of the same instincts found in other animal species.
B) personality is present in humans at birth.
C) without social experience, a child is incapable of thought or meaningful action.
D) many human instincts appear but only after the first few years of life.

Question 5

The "graying of the United States" refers to the fact that

A) the average age of the population is rising.
B) the number of elderly people is increasing.
C) the share of the population that has reached age sixty-five is increasing.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 6

Which of the following statements linking nature and nurture is CORRECT?

A) For human beings, nurture is our nature.
B) Humans have powerful instincts, the same as
C) Nature is far more important than nurture.
D) None of the above is correct.

Question 7

In Freud's model of personality, which element of the personality represents a person's efforts to balance innate pleasure-seeking drives and the demands of society?

A) generalized other
B) id
C) ego
D) superego

Question 8

Our basic drives or needs as humans are reflected in Freud's concept of

A) id.
B) ego.
C) superego.
D) generalized other.

Question 9

In the nature versus nurture debate sociologist claim that

A) biology plays no part at all in human behavior.
B) nature is far more important than nurture.
C) nurture is far more important than nature.
D) nature and nurture have equal importance.

Question 10

Behavioral theory, developed by___________ , claims that most human behavior is not instinctive but learned within a social environment?

A) Charles Darwin
B) John B. Watson
C) Kingsley Davis
D) Harry and Margaret Harlow

Question 11

If you were to put together the lessons learned from the cases of Anna and Genie you would correctly conclude that

A) any negative effects of long-term social isolation can be overcome in a relatively short time.
B) bonding with the birth mother is crucial to early development.
C) social experience has a crucial role in forming human personality.
D) social isolation has many beneficial effects on young children.

Question 12

Thinking about how patterns of child-rearing vary by class, lower-class parents generally stress____________ , while well-to-do parents typically stress___________ .

A) independence; protecting children
B) independence; dependence
C) obedience; creativity
D) creativity; obedience.

Question 13

The Harlows' research with rhesus monkeys, as well as cases of isolated children such as Anna, leads us to conclude that

A) social isolation is harmful to monkeys but presents no danger to human children.
B) long-term social isolation leads to permanent developmental damage in both monkeys and humans.
C) even several months of social isolation is typically fatal to both monkeys and humans.
D) both monkeys and humans "bounce back" from long-term isolation.

Question 14

Which of the following concepts refers to the lifelong social experience by which human beings develop their potential and learn culture?

A) behaviorism
B) naturalism
C) internalization
D) socialization

Question 15

In historical perspective, the power of the mass media in the socialization process has

A) decreased over time.
B) increased over time.
C) been about the same over the last century.
D) The mass media have never played a large part in the socialization process.

Question 16

The Harlows studied the effects of social isolation on rhesus monkeys and found that

A) monkeys thrived in isolation, developing faster than monkeys living in a group.
B) isolated monkeys able to cuddle artificial mothers showed no damage at all.
C) even several years of social isolation produced no permanent damage in infant monkeys.
D) monkeys isolated for as little as six months were permanently damaged.

Question 17

The social sciences, including sociology, support the claim that

A) humans have instincts that guide our lives.
B) biological forces underlie human culture.
C) it is human nature to nurture.
D) Darwin's model of biological evolution explains patterns of human culture.

Question 18

The focus of Lawrence Kohlberg" research was

A) moral reasoning.
B) cognition.
C) the importance of gender in socialization.
D) the generalized other.

Question 19

Mead place the origin of the self in

A) biological drives.
B) culture.
C) social experience.
D) the functioning of the brain.

Question 20

Which of the following concepts refers to an individual person's fairly consistent pattern of acting, thinking, and feeling?

A) personality
B) human nature
C) behavior
D) socialization

Question 21

On the basis of Melvin Kohn's study of what parents expect of their children, we would expect low- income parents to show the greatest concern when their child

A) is given a tardy slip at school.
B) is told what to draw during free art time.
C) conforms to school expectations.
D) is very popular with other students at school.

Question 22

Critics of Erik H. Erikson's theory of personality point out that

A) not everyone confronts stages in the exact order given be Erikson.
B) failing to meet the challenge of one stage may not mean failing at later challenges.
C) this process may unfold differently in other times and in different cultures.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 23

Jean Piaget called the level of development at which individuals first use language and other cultural symbols the

A) sensorimotor stage.
B) preoperational stage.
C) concrete operational stage.
D) formal operational stage.

Question 24

Mead considered the "generalized other" to be

A) a person who provides complete care for a child.
B) important individuals in a person's life.
C) widespread cultural norms and values people learn.
D) the group containing all of a person's "significant others."

Question 25

In George Herbert Mead's model, which sequence correctly orders stages of developing self?

A) imitation, generalized other, play, game
B) imitation, game, play, generalized other
C) imitation, generalized other, game, play
D) imitation, play, game, generalized other

Question 26

By "taking the role of the other," Mead had in mind

A) trading self-centeredness for a focus on helping other people.
B) imagining a situation from another person's point of view.
C) recognizing that people around the world have different views of most situations.
D) imagining a situation in terms of past experience.

Question 27

The special contribution of schooling to the socialization process includes

A) receiving love from caring adults.
B) exposing the child to people whose backgrounds differ from their own.
C) helping children break free of gender roles.
D) teaching children to be highly flexible and to express their individuality.

Question 28

Family is important to the socialization process because

A) family members are what Mead called "significant others".
B) families pass along to children social identity in terms of class, ethnicity, and religion.
C) parents greatly affect a child's sense of self.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 29

According to George Herbert Mead, social experience involves

A) the exchange of symbols.
B) understanding the world in terms of our senses.
C) acting but not thinking.
D) a mix of biological instinct and learning.

Question 30

When Charles Horton Cooley used the concept "looking-glass self," he was referring to the fact that

A) people are self-centered.
B) people see themselves as they think others see them.
C) people see things only from their own point of view.
D) our actions are a reflection of our cultural values.

Question 31

Carol Gilligan extended Lawrence Kohlberg's research, showing that

A) girls develop a "justice perspective."
B) boys develop a "care and responsibility perspective."
C) girls and boys typically use different standards in assessing situations as right and wrong.
D) the ability to assess situations as right and wrong typically develops only as young people enter the teenage years.

Question 32

George Herbert Mead placed the origin of the self in

A) social experience.
B) culture or the demands of society on us as individuals.
C) biological drives.
D) the functioning of the brain.

Question 33

George Herbert Mead would agree with only one of the following statements. Which one is it?

A) If you were to win $100 million in a lottery, your "self" might change.
B) Socialization ends in childhood once the self is established.
C) Human behavior reflects nature as much as nurture.
D) People are like puppets with little control over how society pulls the strings.

Question 34

Child-rearing varies by class: typically, well-to-do parents stress___________ , while lower-class parents stress___________ .

A) independence; protecting their children
B) independence; dependence
C) obedience; creativity
D) creativity; obedience

Question 35

George Herbert Mead considered the self to be

A) the presence of culture within the individual.
B) the part of an individual's personality composed of self-awareness and self-image.
C) present in infants at the time of their birth.
D) basic drives that are self-centered.

Question 36

Which of the following statements comes closest to describing Erik H. Erikson's view of socialization?

A) Personality involves tensions between the forces of biology and forces of culture.
B) Personality develops over the entire life course in patterned stages.
C) We come to see ourselves as we think others see us.
D) Most of our personality development takes place during childhood.

Question 37

The focus of Lawrence Kohlberg's research was

A) moral reasoning.
B) the importance of gender in socialization.
C) cognitive development.
D) social isolation.

Question 38

According to Piaget, at which stage of human development do individuals first see causal connections in their surroundings?

A) sensorimotor stage
B) preoperational stage
C) concrete operational stage
D) formal operational stage

Question 39

According to George Herbert Mead, children learn to "take the role of the other" as they model themselves on important people in their lives, such as parents. Mead referred to these important people as

A) looking-glass models.
B) role models.
C) the generalized other.
D) significant others.

Question 40

Jean Piaget's focus was on

A) cognition, which means how people think and understand.
B) the role of heredity in shaping human behavior.
C) how children respond to stimulation.
D) how children develop their motor skills.

Question 41

In terms of human freedom, the chapter on socialization leads to the conclusion that

A) human beings are affected by society, but also creatively act back on society.
B) human beings are creatures of instinct.
C) human beings live completely free of society.
D) human beings are not capable of spontaneous and creative behavior.

Question 42

Based on what you have read in this chapter, how would sociologists explain the fact that many young people in the United States experience adolescence as a time of confusion?

A) The fact that, for most children, school involves large challenges.
B) Hormones greatly affect young people as they mature.
C) Growth always involves change and change is confusing.
D) There are cultural inconsistencies in defining this stage of life as partly child-like and partly adult-like.

Question 43

Based on the text's survey of the life-course, you might conclude that life course stages

A) are much the same throughout the world.
B) are shaped by society and have nothing to do with biology.
C) have changed little over recent centuries.
D) are linked to biology, but they are mostly defined by society. (Applied;

Question 44

People who grew up during the 1930s Great Depression would correctly be called a

A) counterculture.
B) cohort.
C) subculture.
D) social group.

Question 45

Ageism refers to

A) the fact that older people have most of the wealth and power in our society.
B) the fact that young people know little of the experience of growing old.
C) prejudice and discrimination against the elderly.
D) the rising share of elderly people in U.S. society who are poor.

Question 46

In historical perspective, the importance of the mass media to the socialization process has

A) increased over time.
B) been about the same over the last century.
C) decreased over time.
D) The mass media have never played a large part in the socialization process.

Question 47

The elderly population of the United States has a poverty rate that is

A) higher than it has ever been.
B) the highest rate for any age category.
C) almost zero.
D) below the average for the population as a whole.

Question 48

According to Erving Goffman, the goal of a total institution is

A) to encourage lifelong learning in a supervised context.
B) to radically alter a person's personality or behavior.
C) to give a person greater choices about how to live.
D) to help integrate a troubled patient into the outside world.

Question 49

When people model themselves after the members of peer groups they would like to join, they are engaging in

A) future directedness.
B) group conformity.
C) group rejection.
D) anticipatory socialization.

Question 50

An inmate in prison who loses the capacity for independent living is described as

A) unsocialized.
B) integrated.
C) dissociated.
D) institutionalized.

Question 51

Which of the following concepts refers to a setting where a staff tries to radically change someone's personality through careful control of the environment?

A) resocialization
B) anticipatory socialization
C) taking the role of the other
D) therapy group

Question 52

Below is a list of traits linked to a total institution; all but one are correct. Which one is NOT correct?

A) Formal rules dictate daily routines.
B) Inmates have standardized food, clothing, and activities.
C) Staff members encourage individual growth and creativity.
D) Staff members supervise all spheres of daily life.

Question 53

Industrialized societies typically define people in old age as

A) the most wise.
B) less important than younger adults.
C) the most knowledgeable about current trends.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 54

Looking at childhood in global perspective, we find that

A) biological immaturity is the main factor that defines childhood.
B) poor societies extend childhood much longer than rich societies do.
C) rich societies extend childhood much longer than poor societies do.
D) childhood is a time of play and learning everywhere.

Question 55

What is the term sociologists give to a category of people with a common characteristic, usually their age?

A) cohort
B) generation
C) age subculture
D) age group

Question 56

In Chapter 3's "Seeing Sociology in the News" article, a father describes his daughter's use of new computer technology and concludes that rapid innovation in communication technology is producing

A) greater understanding among all people.
B) a widening class difference.
C) a new generation gap.
D) a widespread feeling of loneliness.

Question 57

In the socialization process, the special significance of the peer group is that it

A) gives children experience in an impersonal setting.
B) has a greater effect than parents on children's long-term goals.
C) lets children escape the direct supervision of parents.
D) allows children to share experiences with people who differ from themselves in age and social background.

Question 58

According to research, the most significant factor in deciding if a person has reached adulthood is whether the young person

A) has a full time job, with the ability to support a family.
B) is married and has a child.
C) has completed all schooling.
D) is no longer living at home.

Question 59

In her research, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross found that death

A) is one topic that people in the United States have always discussed often and openly.
B) is something we must all learn to resist.
C) is defined in much the same way by people throughout history.
D) is an orderly transition involving specific stages.

Question 60

Socialization takes place entirely in childhood.

Question 61

Mead's theory of the self is based on the interaction between "nature and nurture".

Question 62

George Herbert Mead described how our impressions of other people form the basis of a“looking glass self.”

Question 63

The "ego" in Freud's work represents the human being's basic drives, which are unconscious and seek immediate satisfaction.

Question 64

What we know of the later lives of socially isolated children squares with the finding of the Harlows in their laboratory research with rhesus monkeys.

Question 65

According to Jean Piaget, language and other symbols are first used in the concrete operational stage.

Question 66

A peer group is a social group whose members share common interests, social position, and a similar age.

Question 67

Melvin Kohn demonstrated that parents of all social classes have much the same expectations of their children.

Question 68

Of all social institutions, mass media is the one with the greatest impact on socialization for most people.

Question 69

Even during adolescence, the family continues to have a strong influence on children.

Question 70

The tragic case of Anna shows how human beings can eventually overcome the effects of severe social isolation.

Question 71

A more common word for "superego" in Freud's model of personality would be "conscience."

Question 72

The Harlow studies found that one month of social isolation was enough to permanently damage infant rhesus monkeys.

Question 73

Mead's concepts of the "I" and the "me" are basically the same as Freud's concepts of the "id" and the“superego.”

Question 74

George Herbert Mead focused not on people's actions so much as on their underlying intentions.

Question 75

In Freud's model of personality, the ego manages the opposing forces of the id and the superego.

Question 76

Even years of social isolation in infancy may not cause permanent and irreversible developmental damage.

Question 77

Lawrence Kohlberg claimed that individuals develop the capacity for moral reasoning in stages as they grow older.

Question 78

Erik H. Erikson emphasized that socialization takes across the life course.

Question 79

John B. Watson was one of the first social scientists to claim that specific patterns of behavior are not instinctive, but learned.

Question 80

In our society, there is no single factor that defines young people as having reached adulthood.